from http://www.vegsource.com/articles/pi..._resources.htm

Meat & Dairy:
The Devastating Environmental Cost
Leading researchers and ecologists call for tax on meat and dairy to
reflect true environmental impact

What, exactly, is the environmental cost of an animal product-based
diet?

There are probably few people, if any, better qualified to answer this
question than David Pimentel, a celebrated professor of ecology and
agricultural science at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, David
Pimentel, Ph.D.

Professor Pimentel's ecological credentials are virtually
unmatched. His research spans the fields of basic population ecology,
ecological and economic aspects of pest control, biological control,
biotechnology, sustainable agriculture, land and water conservation,
natural resouce management, and environmental policy. He has published
more than 500 scientific papers and 20 books, and has served on many
national and government organizations, including the National Academy
of Sciences; President's Science Advisory Council; U.S. Department of
Agriculture; U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Department of Health,
Education and Welfare; Office of Technology Assessment of the U.S.
Congress; and the U.S. State Department.

Professor Pimentel's position as a foremost authority also
derives in part from the fact that during his long and illustrious
career he has teamed with scores of other eminent researchers to
publish ground-breaking papers on a wide variety of subjects. In fact,
many of the most important published, peer-reviewed studies in this
area list him as a primary researcher.


Landmark Book

Most recently Professor Pimentel rounded up 22 esteemed
colleagues -- also top researchers in each of their fields -- and
compiled an awesome work of breathtaking scope called Ecological
Integrity: Integrating Environment, Conservation and Health (Island
Press, Washington DC, Jan. 2001)

Among the many very appealing facets of Professor Pimentel is
that he is reasonably accessible and willing to discuss his methods,
his sources of data, and how he or his learned colleagues came up with
various calculations. At least he has been with inquiries from
VegSource. This stands in stark contrast to the "corporate" scientists
-- those who appear to work chiefly to enhance corporate coffers by
obfuscating issues, muddying waters and downplaying real risks -- who
are often unreachable or unwilling to comment or clarify, or even
defend, their questionable work.


Land Use and Animal Agriculture

With the assistance of Robert Goodland, Ph.D. (who is currently
the Enviromental Adviser to the World Bank, where he received
Presidential Excellence Awards in 1998 and 1999), Professor Pimentel
provides insight into land use for food.

Goodland and Pimentel cite data which show that worldwide, food
and fiber crops are gown on 12 percent of the Earth's total land area.
Another 24 percent of the land is used as pasture to graze livestock
that provide meat and milk products, while forests cover an additional
31 percent. The small percentage of forest and grassland set aside as
protected national parks to conserve biological diversity amounts to
only 3 precent of the total terrestrial ecosystem. Most of the
remaining one-third of land area is unsuitable for crops, pasture, and
forests because it is too cold, dry, steep, stony, or wet, or the soil
is too infertile or shallow to support plant growth.

The researchers point out that currently, a total of 3,265
pounds of agricultural products (including feed and grains) are
produced annually to feed each American, while China's food supply
averages only 1,029 pounds/ capita/year. The world average value is
1,353 pounds/ capita/year. The low number for China correlates with a
vegetarian diet, the researchers point out, noting that most people in
China eat essentially a vegetarian diet.


Water Resources

Goodland and Pimentel believe that the present and future
availability of adequate supplies of fresh water is frequently taken
for granted. Natural collectors of water such as rivers and lakes vary
in distribution throughout the world and are frequently shared within
and between countries. All surface water supplies, but especially
those in arid regions, are diminished by evaporation. For insance,
reservoir water experiences an average yearly loss of about 24
percent.

All vegetation requires and transpires massive amounts of water
during the growing season. For example, a corn crop that produces
about 6616 pounds/acre of grain will take up and transpire about
534,600 gallons/acre of water during the growing season. To supply
this much water to the crop, not only must 855,119 gallons of rain
fall per acre, but also a significant portion must fall during the
growing season.

The renowned scientists state that perhaps the greatest threat
to maintaining freshwater supplies is overdraft of surface and
groundwater resources used to supply the needs of the rapidly growing
human population and the agriculture that provides its food.
Agricultural production "consumes" more fresh water than any other
human activity. Worldwide, about 82 percent of the fresh water that is
pumped is "consumed" (so that it is nonrecoverable) by agriculture. In
the U.S., this figure is about 85 percent. All people require a
minimum of 24 gallons/day for cooking, washing, and other domestic
needs, while each American uses about 106 gallons/day for domestic
needs. Add to that a 1/4-pounder with cheese, and you've added more
than 3,000 additional gallons of water to your daily consumption.
About 80 nations in the world are already experiencing significant
water shortages. For instance, in China, more than three hundred
cities are short of water and the problem is intensifying.

Surface water in rivers and lakes and groundwater provide the
freshwater supply for the world. However, groundwater resources are
renewed at various rates but usually at the extremely slow rate of 0.1
- 0.3 percent per year. Because of their slow recharge rate,
groundwater resources must be carefully managed to prevent overdraft.

Yet humans are not effectively conserving groundwater resources,
the researchers note, and their overdraft is now a serious problem in
many parts of the world. Goodland and Pimentel cite several examples
worldwide to support this assertion. Most notably, they state that in
the vast U.S. Ogallala aquifer, annual overdraft is 130 to 160 percent
above the replacement level. If this continues, this vital aquifer is
expected to become nonproductive in about 40 years. High consumption
of surface and groundwater resources is beginning to limit the option
of irrigating arid regions. Furthermore, the scientists cite research
showing that per capita irrigation area is also declining because of
salinization and waterlogging, both deleterious effects of continual
irrigation.


Environmental Sustainability

Throughout the book, Pimentel and his colleagues focus on the
concept of environmental sustainability. A big part of that equation,
they note, is to reduce demand for food, overall:

Reducing demand can be achived by eating more efficiently on the
food chain. Diet matters: environmental sustainability (ES) can be
brought about by reducing feeding inefficiencies, such as those
existing in producing grain-fed livestock, and encouraging more
efficient diets, such as plant-based ones.

The researchers note that the acceptability of plant- based
diets is a matter of degree, and that human societies differ in what
diet they find comfortable. Among those who restrict their consumption
of animal- based foods, there is a continuum from eschewing red met,
then "white" meat (poultry), then mammals or all terrestrial aniamls.
Some will eat cold-blooded animals but not warm-blooded ones (i.e.,
some people eat fish, but not rabbits or chickens).

In their book, the researchers make detailed and virtually
unassailable arguments to support their wise conclusions on how we can
achieve long-term sustainability and integrity in agricultu

Most people of the world -- those already at the efficient,
low-impact end of the food chain -- would stay at the low end of the
chain, but would diversify their diet;
Affluent people now eating at the top of the food chain would
pay full costs of their high-impact food choices, consonant with the
"polluter pays" principal, via food taxation for those foods depleting
resources at very high rates -- or elect to consume more efficiently
lower down the food chain;
People starting to move up the food chain (e.g., in China and
India) would be encouraged to stop where they are -- and to consider
moving back down the chain.

Pimentel and Goodland note that incentives are needed to promote
grain-based diets by applying good economics and good environmental
management to food and agriculture. In particular, conversion
efficiency and "polluter pays" principals should be used in setting
full- price policies, which internalizes environmental and social
costs. They note that cattle feedlots and slaughterhouses consume much
water and generate much highly polluting waste. Wastes often are not
efficiently reused but are instead disposed of in the nearest
watercourse. Feed and forage production consume even more water. These
costs need to be internalized.

In the researchers' view, the highest taxes would fall on the
least efficient converters, namely hogs and cattle. Slightly lower
taxes would be assessed on sheep and those cattle grazing natural
grassland.

No taxes would be paid on grains (rice, maize, wheat,
buckwheat), starches (potatoes, cassava), and legumes (soy, pulses,
beans, peas, peanuts). Modest subsidies on coarse grains (millet,
pearl millet, sorghum) would alleviate hunger and are unlikely to be
abused (as the rich usually won't eat such foods).

Encouragement for domestic or village-scale beneficiation, such
as of peanuts to peanut butter and cashew fruits to roasted nuts,
often doubles or triples the profit to the grower. Peanut butter and
cornflakes were invented expressly to increase the consumption of
those low-impact foods at the bottom of the food chain.

The authors conclude that "Adoption of such policies will not
solve world hunger overnight, but it will certainly help."

If you are looking for a comprehensive discussion of food
choices and ecological sustainability, head for your local or online
bookstore and pick up a copy of Ecological Integrity: Integrating
Environment, Conservation and Health. Written in a scholarly style by
some of our current greatest thinkers, this work is filled with
valuable facts, figures and loads of references to many other
important works, and is an invaluable addition to any ecologist's
library.

Geez, Fos. This guy's really trying to pick a fight with you. And I'm
beginning to feel a little left out.

--
TFM3

Note: Spam-resistant e-mail address

Ignore the creep, please.

"F.G. Whitfurrows" was being spoofed when he apparantly wrote what I
snipped. >
==========================


Meat's easier to cut down than trees. (and tastier)

TFM®

Steve Wertz > wrote in message
...

> And every is *still* being
> played nicely by starting additional threads about it.

?

I have no idea what you're trying to say here.

--
TFM3

Note: Spam-resistant e-mail address

PLONK

"Ol' Hippie" <olhippieATcharterDOTnet> wrote in message
...
> PLONK
>
>
HEY! Careful ya don't plonk the real me, Brucie.

--
Fosco Gamgee Whitfurrows
and his 6" boner

"F.G. Whitfurrows" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Ol' Hippie" <olhippieATcharterDOTnet> wrote in message
> ...
> > PLONK
> >
> >
> HEY! Careful ya don't plonk the real me, Brucie.
>
> --
> Fosco Gamgee Whitfurrows
> and his 6" boner
>
That's what's so cool about old Hippie. He' wants ta let ya know he plonked
somebody, but doesn't wanta tell ya who.
Jack

"F.G. Whitfurrows" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Ol' Hippie" <olhippieATcharterDOTnet> wrote in message
> ...
> > PLONK
> >
> >
> HEY! Careful ya don't plonk the real me, Brucie.
>
He can't hear you now...

Steve Wertz > wrote in message news:j--
>
> What I'm saying is that everyone who repsonds to this stuff (or
> starts a new thread about it), is a fool.

Including yourself?

--
TFM3

Note: Spam-resistant e-mail address

Steve Wertz > wrote in message
news
> On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 03:32:47 GMT, "Thomas Mooney"
> > wrote:
>
> >Steve Wertz > wrote in message
news:j--
> >>
> >> What I'm saying is that everyone who repsonds to this stuff (or
> >> starts a new thread about it), is a fool.
> >
> >Including yourself?
>
> <yawn> The usual 2nd grade comback.
>

Oh yes, that was a much snappier comeback. <g>

> The only time I respond is to tell somebody they're an idiot.
> Hopefully, eventually, it will sink in.

If you bothered to pay attention, my response to the original troll was
addressed to Fosco. And I only responded after the troll had made two posts
in under twelve hours forging Fosco's nom de net. If you really thought
that my response was feeding the troll, so be it. But your little 2¢ was no
different. And if you can't see that...

--
TFM3

Note: Spam-resistant e-mail address